Asian Studies Commons^™

Analyzing The Adjustment Of American Business Expatriates In China: Professionalism, Culture And Social Support, Ramelle Mueller

Honors Theses

This paper provides a comprehensive literature review of the American expatriate adjustment process to life in China. Additionally, online textual analysis on expatriate forum website was conducted to better understand the expatriate perspective and examines empirically the relevance of multiple factors of the expatriate adjustment process. Overarching factors include; work adjustment, general adjustment and interpersonal adjustment, which serve as the framework for this paper.

The Belt And Road Initiative: China’S Rise, America’S Balance, And Latin America’S Struggle, Garrett Bullock

History Honors Papers

This research attempts to understand the evolving relationship between China, the United States, and Latin America. Specifically, it explores China’s rapid rise as a formidable geopolitical power, the United States’ mixed response to that rise, and efforts by two Latin American countries, Ecuador and Argentina, to avoid exploitation by both China and the United States—and, indeed, to even benefit from this mutating relationship. In all cases, historically constructed ideas and strategic interests shape relations among these various actors. Accordingly, this research lays out the historical sources for each of these powers’ central ideas. Then, it connects those ideas to the …

Imitators To Creators: The Emergence Of A Confident National Identity In Contemporary Korea As Observed Through K-Pop And Masculinity, Kaitlyn Diane Read

Honors Theses

South Korea’s national narrative has evolved from one familiar with destruction and outside control to one that can now afford to be more challenging and confrontational. Korea’s ascent to both economic and political prominence on the international landscape in record time is well established. The rapid transformation currently impacts Korean society with the country choosing to concentrate on strengthening its soft power and nation brand exporting. This thesis aims to reveal how Korea’s recently acquired position of significance on the global stage permits the Korean national identity to be assured and stimulating, in contrast with a derivative narrative once perceived …

The Case Of Kashmir: Ethnic Mobilization And Insurgency, Kayla Hofmann

Politics Honors Papers

This paper analyzes ethnic identity and potential reasons for conflict through a constructivist lens. Using the case study of Kashmir, I explore the past and present events in the state and the salience of ethnicity, specifically Kashmiri Muslims and Indian Hindus.

Inequality In Ethnic Representation In Secondary-School Literature Textbooks And National Examination In Vietnam, Anh Nguyen

Honors Projects

This essay studies the dynamic between ethnic minorities and majority in the Vietnamese education system. By examining the appearance and representation of ethnic minorities in national literature curriculum, textbooks, and examinations, the analysis reflects the government's perspectives regarding the “appropriate” portrait of ethnic minorities' heritage and relationship with the majority. The study finds that Vietnamese education framework and content comply with the national construct of a Vietnamese identity across ethnicities. The state determines educational materials and selectively permits only aesthetic, politically benign, and Kinh-like narratives of ethnic minorities’ cultures, many written and/or chosen by Kinh authority rather than the ethnic …

Covid-19 And The Future Of Chinese Manufacturing, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

China is expected to maintain a prominent role in global supply chains despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which has renewed discussions about whether countries around the world have become too reliant on Chinese manufacturing, according to one of The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) leading researchers on global economic networks

A Path To Digitalisation Featuring The Dbs Story, Robin Speculand

Perspectives@SMU

Digitalisation of businesses has been rapidly increasing over the last few years and now it has become a necessity, rather than an option, for many. The article provides a path and model for leaders to transform their business. It starts by recognising that businesses need a digital vision driven by customers’ requirements and explains how to build centricity and be ready for the future.

Before Covid-19, There Was Sars, Wee Kiat Lim

Perspectives@SMU

COVID-19 was not China’s first catastrophic public health crisis. The last time one struck the country, it transformed the emergency management landscape.

Getting On The E-Commerce Carousell, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Carousell has achieved impressive user numbers. Can the online marketplace now convert that into profitability?

Privilege In A Pandemic: An International Student's Perspective, Athena Macatangay

Social Space

And just like that, Singapore is approaching the end of its national circuit breaker.

These days, my university dorm has become my little universe. With COVID-19 showing no signs of abating, my schoolmates and I have been spending our semester break indoors. All the action takes place within the four walls of my room, where I clock my hours at a virtual internship, read, exercise and FaceTime with friends and family.

Covid-19 And Studying Disasters In Singapore, Wee-Kiat Lim

CCX Research

Dealing practically with the web of complexities that constitutes the COVID-19 pandemic requires going beyond public health and economic repercussions. Social science research on disasters can contribute to this. In this article, I will sketch three approaches drawn from sociology, psychology, geography, and political science.

Go Big With Economic Push To Fight Covid-19, David Fernandez

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Economic policymakers need to focus on taking bold and immediate action in order to tackle the pandemic crisis.

Digitalisation Of Smes In Singapore: An Institute Of Higher Learning-Enterprise Partnership Model, Benjamin Huan Zhou Lee, Gary Pan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

An SME had commissioned a team of five accounting students to develop a forecasting model using analytics. The student team was from the Accounting Analytics Capstone (SMU-X) course offered by the School of Accountancy, Singapore Management University (SMU), in January 2018. For this project, the student-consultants applied their knowledge of accounting data and analytics, combining it with a multidisciplinary approach to solve real-world complex financial analytical problems that have real-time consequences.

Developing Online Business Strategy With Millennials Through Partnership With University, Yuanto Kusnadi, Gary Pan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a significant shift in shopping behaviour from offline to online among Singaporean consumers. According to data from data analytics firm Nielsen, 37 per cent of Singaporean consumers have increased online shopping activities since the COVID-19 outbreak. This shift towards online shopping, food delivery and e-groceries may persist beyond the COVID-19 period. While the increase in online shopping has benefited online stores, many businesses who do not yet have an online presence or have not been paying much attention to conducting sales online were caught off-guard during the circuit breaker period which has resulted in …

The Reality Behind The Fantasy Of K-Dramas: An Analysis Of Indian Fans, Neha Cariappa

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

Most South Korean dramas provide an outlet from everyday life into an illusive world of romance. This research aims to evaluate the impact that Korean dramas have on its viewers abroad and how K-dramas alter personal opinions on various topics like beauty, romantic partners, and relationships. For this project, I have chosen Indian fans to examine how fans tend to possess idealized perceptions about South Korea, Korean men, and romance in general, based on the fantasy that K-dramas present, which have both positive and negative influences on their personal lives. The reach of South Korean soft power among young Indians …

The Materialization And Complexity Of Silk Road, Meryem Gurel

Creative Activity and Research Day - CARD

This research study examines the materialization and complexity of the Silk Road by comparing of the ancient Silk Road and China’s Belt and Road Initiative within the scope of silk trade. The purpose of this study is to examine how today’s Belt and Road is different than the ancient Silk Road. The research pursues a multi-method project through archival source, complexity data, and interviews with scholars. The findings demonstrates that although there are inspirations, the current Silk Road is more related to China’s national development. As a result, the Belt and Road initiative pursues a development path as government purpose …

Under The Radar: The Everyday Resistance Of Anarchist Punks In Bandung, Indonesia, Steve Moog

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Amidst a current resurgence of hypernationalism across the globe, resistance movements and counterhegemonic ideologies are becoming increasingly visible and more common elements of broader socio-political discourses. While high-profile protests have ignited public interest in resistance movements—turning relatively unknown groups such as Antifa and Black Bloc into household names—little attention has been paid to the behind-the-scenes networks undergirding many of these organizations. Translocal do-it-yourself (DIY) punk rock networks are spaces in which alternative and subversive ideologies are enacted through the everyday implementation of anarchist philosophies and DIY ethics. Here, ‘under the radar’ modes of resistance are found in the lived realities, …

A Thumb On The Scale: Chinese Investment And Influence In Ecuador And Colombia, Christina Pendergrast

Honors Theses

Over the past two decades, Chinese involvement in the developing world has increased dramatically, raising concerns over the intentions behind the provision of development packages. Critics have accused China of a practice known as debt-trap diplomacy, a method of ensnaring less developed nations by providing more loans than those nations have the ability to feasibly pay back. While China denies that their loan and investment packages are provided with any ulterior motive, the influence held by an investor like China has the potential to impact these partner countries for decades to come. In light of the scope of China’s role …

‘Living In A State Of Filth And Indifference To … Their Health’: Weather, Public Health And Urban Governance In Colonial George Town, Penang, Fiona Williamson, Katrina Proust

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article explores the development of public health infrastructure in George Town, Penang, before the 1930s. It argues that the extreme weather of the tropical climate led to a unique set of health challenges for George Town’s administrators, as the town grew from a small British base to a multi-cultural and thriving port. Weather and public health were (and still are) integrally connected,although the framing of this relationship has undergone significant shifts in thinking and appearance over time. One lens into this association is the situation and expression of these elements within municipal structures.During the nineteenth century, government departments were …

Learning To Leave: Filipino Families And The Making Of The Global Filipino Nurse, Yasmin Y. Ortiga

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This chapter investigates how this process of reconfiguring the “social” plays out in the context of the Philippines’ labor export system and pervasive culture of emigration. Focusing on the case of Filipino nursing graduates seeking to work overseas, this chapter discusses how the success of the Philippines’ labor-brokering process relies on individuals who can take on the responsibility of transforming themselves, mainly through education and training, into desirable workers for future employers. While the migration literature had largely framed emigration as an individual aspiration and project, this chapter demonstrates how families subsidize the Philippine state’s labor export system by taking …